* A NOTE on access is at bottom of page.

For today, links to seven reports: from National Public Radio, the Associated Press, the Kyiv Independent, Kyiv Post, the Moscow Times, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 12-25-25 and up or down for WEST BANK, LEBANON, SYRIA and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Ukraine marks third Christmas at war with Russia. Reported by Joanna Kakissis and Leila Fadel | NPR  Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine continue as Ukraine spent its third Christmas under Russian onslaught. Click HERE later to listen and, still later, read.

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Ukrainian parliament member talks about what it’s like to spend Christmas at war. Leila Fadel of NPR speaks with a Ukrainian member of parliament about celebrating Christmas in wartime, and soliciting U.S. support for Ukraine. Click HERE later to listen and, still later, read.

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Zelenskyy says meeting with Trump to happen ‘in the near future.’ From AP. KYIV — Signaling progress in talks to end the nearly four-year war between Russia and Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said today, “We are not losing a single day . . .  READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others. Click HERE and HERE for reports from the Kyiv Independent and Kyiv Post.

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Russian troops to isolate large Ukrainian logistics center after liberating Kosovtsevo. From Tass. MOSCOW — Fighters of the 37th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade of Russia’s Battlegroup East have created necessary conditions for isolating a large Ukrainian army logistics center after liberating the settlement of Kosovtsevo in the Zaporozhye Region, according to a source in Russian defense circles. READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 25  Kremlin slams Zelensky’s ‘uncouth’ Christmas address. From the Moscow Times. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Christmas address as “uncouth” and “bitter,” saying it questioned his ability to engage in ongoing negotiations to end the war. READ MORE . . .

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* NOTE: Up-to-the minute entries today seem to be accessible to visitors via at least two browsers. See more on subject at MEDIA 12-25-25.

* A NOTE on access is at bottom of page.

For today, links to three reports: from Agence France-Presse and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for LEBANON 12-25-25 and up or down for WEST BANK, UKRAINE, SYRIA and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Israeli army says striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. From AFP. JERUSALEM — The Israeli military announced a series of strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon today, including weapons depots and a training complex. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AFP report in French, and HERE for headlines of others. Click HERE for report from the Cradle.

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FROM DEC. 23  Lebanese army rejects claims soldier killed by Israel was ‘Hezbollah member.’ From the Cradle. The Lebanese Armed Forces rejected claims that one of its soldiers killed by an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday had dual affiliations with Hezbollah, calling such allegations “malicious attacks” designed to “undermine the military institution.” READ MORE . . .

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* NOTE: Up-to-the minute entries today seem to be accessible to visitors via at least two browsers. See more on subject at MEDIA 12-25-25.

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* A NOTE on access is at bottom of page.

For today, links to six reports: from the Associated Press, Kurdistan24, Agence France-Presse, the Cradle, and Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for SYRIA 12-25-25, and up or down for WEST BANK, UKRAINE, LEBANON and MEDIA.) — MCM

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NEWER  Mosque bombing in Syria leaves 8 dead and 18 wounded, by Ghaith Alsayed and Sally Abou Aljoud | AP  IDLIB, Syria — A bombing at a mosque in the Syrian city of Homs during Friday prayers killed at least eight people and wounded 18 others, authorities said, as long-standing sectarian, ethnic and political fault lines continue to destabilize the country, even as large-scale fighting has subsided. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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Explosion hits mosque in Syrian city of Homs, leaving three dead. From Kurdistan24. ERBIL, Iraq – The explosion today struck the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque in Homs, killing at least three people and wounding several others. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for earlier AFP report in French, and HERE for headlines of others. Click HERE for report from the Cradle. 

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FROM DEC. 24  Syrian Druze fighters ‘covertly’ armed by Israel since Assad’s fall: report. From the Cradle. Israel has been “covertly” supplying Syria’s Druze minority with weapons, ammunition, and military supplies since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government last year, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday. READ MORE . . .

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Anger in Israel as Turkey deploys radar systems in Syria. From Middle East Monitor. Tensions are rising between Israel and Turkey over the Turkish deployment of radar systems inside Syria, which is expected to significantly limit Israel’s freedom of movement in Syrian airspace. READ MORE . . .

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* NOTE: Up-to-the minute entries today seem to be accessible to visitors via at least two browsers. See more on subject at MEDIA 12-25-25.

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* A NOTE on access is at bottom of page.

For today, links to an interview from National Public Radio and to an article of commentary from Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (Scroll down for MEDIA 12-25-25, and scroll up for WEST BANK, UKRAINE, LEBANON and SYRIA.) — MCM

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FROM NOV. 15  A new film envisions a future where reality TV turns lethal. Reported by Sacha Pfeiffer | NPR  Director Edgar Wright talks about his new film, which imagines a world where every encounter could mean death in a dark, action-packed dystopia. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM DEC. 24  The 10 worst Hollywood films by Middle Eastern filmmakers, by Joseph Fahim | Middle East Eye  Over the past 25 years, Tinseltown has given considerable opportunities to Middle Eastern directors, only for those efforts to flounder miserably. There are a number of factors at play. READ MORE . . .

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* NOTE: Up-to-the minute entries today seem to be accessible to visitors via at least two browsers. See more on subject at MEDIA 12-25-25.

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Entries for today have been late and slow in coming, and are somewhat shorter than usual.

In this one, a brief report from and about x-ma911truthwalk.com (this blog); others are accessible by clicking on its address. (Scroll down for MEDIA 12-23-25 and LEBANON, GAZA and UKRAINE.) — MCM

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The challenges of ‘getting through,’ by Mark Channing Miller |  x-ma911truthwalk.com  For a change, a brief report on “how it’s going,” before I get back to finding reports and commentary of others to link to. You — regular and occasional visitors, and newcomers — can be the judge from a consumer’s perspective. I sometimes think I’m being “shadow banned.” This is because there can be a delay of hours, if not days, between when I click on “publish” and when an entry or an addition to one appears on another computer’s screen. I appeal to people who are interested enough in this material, who feel what they are looking at is stale: Please try “refreshing” by clicking on the circular arrow icon at top of screen; re-typing this blog’s URL rather than relying on what automatically appears after one or two keystrokes; or even switching to another browser* if you can. Thanks.

* The ones I know of and have used are (alphabetically) Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Safari.

Entries for today have been late and slow in coming, and are somewhat shorter than usual.

In this one, a link to a report from Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (Scroll up or down for LEBANON 12-18-25 and for MEDIA, GAZA and UKRAINE.) — MCM

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Bombed churches and air strikes: Celebrating Christmas in south Lebanon, by Madeline Edwards and João Sousa | Middle East Eye  DERDGHAYA, Lebanon  Mass began at 9 a.m. Twenty, then perhaps 30, people filed into the small sanctuary from the howling winter winds outside. READ MORE . . .

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Entries for today have been late and slow in coming, and are somewhat shorter than usual.

In this one, links to five reports: from Anadolu Ajansi, the Cradle, the Associated Press and National Public Radio, and to an article of commentary; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for GAZA 12-22-25  and for up or down MEDIA, LEBANON and UKRAINE.) — MCM

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Israel ‘will never leave’ Gaza Strip, defense minister says, by Fekry Abdeen and Lina Altawell | Anadolu   ISTANBUL — Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz today renewed his pledge that Tel Aviv “will never leave” the Gaza Strip, vowing to create a broad security zone around the Palestinian enclave and allow settlement building in the territory’s north. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same Anadolu report in French, and HERE for others. Click HERE for report from the Cradle.

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FROM DEC. 24  A blast in Gaza wounds a soldier and Israel accuses Hamas of ceasefire violation, by Julia Frankel | AP  JERUSALEM — An explosive device detonated in Gaza on Wednesday, injuring one Israeli soldier and prompting Israel to accuse Hamas of violating the U.S.-brokered ceasefire. It was the latest incident to threaten the tenuous truce that has held since Oct. 10 as each side . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM DEC. 21  An American doctor describes volunteering in Gaza. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi | NPR  An American doctor journals her daily life as a volunteer in al-Shifa hospital, which was once Gaza’s largest medical facility. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Pope Leo XIV calls for a ceasefire in all conflicts in first Christmas Mass. Reported by Ruth Sherlock | NPR  Thousands of people gathered in Bethlehem’s Manger Square as Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Christmas Mass and called for a ceasefire in all conflicts this Christmas. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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What it’s like to survive in Gaza when your children are killed, by Ahmed Abu Artema | Middle East Eye  For a mother, the death of a child is a heartbreak that lasts a lifetime. In Gaza, it has reached an unprecedented and unimaginable scale. Death has not come one by one. READ MORE . . .

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Entries for today have been late and slow in coming, and are somewhat shorter than usual.

In this one, links to five reports: from National Public Radio, Agence France-Presse, the Moscow Times, and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 12-22-25, and scroll up for MEDIA, LEBANON and GAZA.) — MCM

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Pope Leo XIV calls for a ceasefire in all conflicts in first Christmas Mass. Reported by Ruth Sherlock | NPR  Thousands of people gathered in Bethlehem’s Manger Square as Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Christmas Mass and called for a ceasefire in all conflicts this Christmas. Click HERE to listen and, later, read. Click HERE and HERE for report from AFP / AFP in English and French.

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Ukrainian drone attacks spark blazes at seaport and oil refinery in southern Russia. From the Moscow Times. Ukrainian drone strikes sparked fires at a seaside fuel storage facility and an oil refinery in southern Russia, local authorities said today, as other regions across the country reported downing dozens of unmanned aircraft. READ MORE . . .

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FROM DEC. 24  Zelenskyy says he’s open to creating demilitarized zone in Ukraine’s industrial heartland, by Samya Kullab | AP  KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday he would be willing to withdraw troops from the country’s eastern industrial heartland as part of a plan to end Russia’s war, if Moscow also pulls back and the area becomes a demilitarized zone monitored by international forces. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM DEC. 24  Zelenskyy says he’s open to pull back troops if Russia does too. Reported by Joanna Kakissis | NPR  Ukraine’s president says he open to pulling troops back from parts of the east if Russia also pulls back its forces. Click HERE to listen and read.

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This will be today’s only entry. And it’s late and brief to boot. — MCM

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Holiday busy-ness and other craziness cuts into blog’s publication, by Mark Channing Miller | x-ma911truthwalk.com  For the first time in a long while, a day will pass without new entries on GAZA, WEST BANK, UKRAINE, LEBANON, SYRIA, IRAN, 9/11 TRUTH, or COVID ETC., and only this one for MEDIA. Fortunately, regular or occasional visitors may welcome a respite. Perhaps as soon as tomorrow, Dec. 24, I’ll again link to the work of journalists who try to shed light on some of what’s going on. Meanwhile, newcomers can scroll down and click on some links to get an idea of what I’ve been trying to relay — to expand, however meagerly, these people’s readership and watchership and listenership.

* A NOTE on access is at bottom of this entry.

For today, a link to a report Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (Scroll down for GAZA 12-21-25 and for LEBANON, SYRIA, UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Gaza fishermen risk everything at sea, by Maha Hussaini and Mohammed al-Hajjar | Middle East Eye  GAZA CITY / NUSEIRAT — The Palestinian Fishermen Syndicate says the Israeli military has killed at least 230 Palestinian fishermen since the beginning of the genocide in Gaza Oct. 7, 2023. READ MORE . . .

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* NOTE: Sometimes entries or additions to them do not appear in a timely fashion after posting. If you sense what your are viewing is stale or incomplete, try “refreshing” (by clicking the little circular arrow at top of screen), or “resetting” your computer, or switching to another browser or computer. If none of this works, please return at another time. Thank you. — MCM